The Texas Senate accepted late Wednesday an amended House bill that would provide for more training for high school counselors on the state’s new high school graduation plans aimed at making more students college ready.
Texas Sen. Charles Perry, R-Lubbock, sponsored HB 18 in the Senate. The amended version must go back to the House for possible reconciliation or approval before it reaches the Governor’s desk.
Here’s the full statement from Perry’s office:

It has to be for entertainment purposes, TV shows are off for summer, Letterman is gone. The Texas legislature cannot really be this dense. There’s no other explanation for the contradictory and troglodyte policy in this session.
Passing preliminary approval, HB 3994, is a bill that will require women to show ID, extend time for a judge to rule a teen’s application, and strengthen the burden of proof of abuse before a minor can get an abortion.

Since January, the extremist wing of the Texas GOP has been tossing out bills as fast as possible and they fall under two distinct categories: punishment and hatred. As always, Conservative Texas Legislators believe they can fix any bad bill by hiding behind the shield of “good conservative legislation”, but Texans are beginning to see through the façade of trigger words and rhetorical mind benders.

The Texas office of the American Civil Liberties Union condemned as “overreach” a Panhandle/South Plains lawmaker’s proposal to require drug screening for some welfare applicants.
The Texas House Human Services Committee held a hearing for HB 352, introduced by Rep. Ken King, R-Canadian, which would require screening and drug testing of applicants as a condition of eligibility for the Temporary Assistance for Needy Families program.
The average family receives about $175 in monthly TANF benefits.

There was a lot of money riding on today’s hearings in the Senate’s Education Committee, not to mention the future of 5,151,925 public school students in Texas.
Four bills, three of which were discussed today, represent just how powerful educational corporations have become and how influential they are in Tea Party Republican circles. They donate heavily to conservative campaigns with the full expectation of bending the will of Texas legislators.

There’s a game taking place in Texas. It may not be basketball, but it is madness. So far, there are few winners in this game, except for Republican legislators and the industries who buy them. In almost every piece of legislation passed so far, the citizens of Texas are clearly the losers. Given the consistent vote counts of 20-11, divided right down party lines, it looks as if Texans will continue to be the losers.

Last evening I read a piece in the Houston Chronicle that caused me to look at the volatile issue of campus carry in a whole new light.
I work with young adults, so I’ve always regarded campus carry from an emotional and safety standpoint, but we all need to realize that campus carry will enact a tremendously high fiscal cost.

Just two days ago, the new high school graduation requirements passed the Texas Senate. I have no words to adequately express my disgust and disbelief. It is an egregious assault on professional education, the study of human cognitive development and an attack against the best interests of students. Worse still, these new guidelines were decided by those who are totally unqualified to do so.

Unless you’re an obsessed Texas political junkie like me, you probably don’t know much about Texas House Representative, David Simpson, who represents the Longview area. He wants to be the next Texas Speaker of the House.